Automatic cashier for bank-notes

ABSTRACT

An automatic changer for paper bank-notes has a testing chamber into which a note is vertically inserted through a slot from which it slides along a pair of vertical guides into the testing chamber and is held therein in substantially stretched position against a closure mechanism. Three light sources are provided in conjunction with photo-electric receiving circuits to test the width and length of the note or bill for genuineness while the bill is held flat by a solenoid actuated movable wall within the testing chamber. The closure mechanism includes output feed roller means and a deflector mechanism in the path of the bill which are operable by the said circuits to feed the bill into a return box if the test result is negative or divert the bill into a cash container if the test result is positive.

United States Patent 1 Meloni et al.

[54] AUTOMATIC CASHIER FOR BANK- NOTES [75] Inventors: Mario Meloni, Muri; Paul Keller,

Rufenacht, both of Switzerland [73] Assignee: Autelca AG, Gumligen, Switzerland 22 Filed: Nov. 11, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 197,646

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 12, 1970 Switzerland ..l8342/7O [52] US. Cl. ..209/1l1.7, 194/4 E, 209/DIG. 2, 250/219 DO [51] Int. Cl ..B07c 5/342 [58] Field of Search ..209/DIG. 2, 82, 111.7; 250/219 LG, 219 WD, 219 DQ;194/4 E, 4

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,045,364 7/1962 Surber ..l94/4 B X 1111 3,731,799 [4 1 May 8, 1973 Attorney-Rupert J. Brady et al.

[5 7] ABSTRACT An automatic changer for paper bank-notes has a testing chamber into which a note is vertically inserted through a slot from which it slides along a pair of vertical guides into the testing chamber and is held therein in substantially stretched position against a closure mechanism. Three light sources are provided in conjunction with photo-electric receiving circuits to test the width and length of the note or bill for genuineness while the bill is held flat by a solenoid actuated movable wall within the testing chamber. The closure mechanism includes output feed roller means and a deflector mechanism in the path of the bill which are operable by the said circuits to feed the bill into a return box if the test result is negative or divert the bill into a cash container if the test result is positive.

10 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures AUTOMATIC CASHIER FOR BANK-NOTES This invention relates to an automatic cashier for bank-notes, e.g., for automatic machines which in exchange for payment deliver goods (automatic sales machine), issue a ticket (automatic ticket machine) or perform a service (e.g., automatic telephones), and also for automatic money-changers.

In contrast to coins, bank-notes are not rigid, cannot roll on an inclined track and cannot be relied on to slide through a channel, so that the money slots, coin channels, locking and releasing mechanisms used in automatic cashiering of coins cannot be used for banknotes.

The present invention provides an automatic cashier for bank-notes, comprising a test chamber for receiving a bank-note while the bank-note is tested for genuineness, the chamber having two vertical walls and two vertical lateral guides, and the bottom of the chamber being closed by a closure mechanism which permits the bank-note to leave the chamber, an inlet slot for vertical insertion of the bank-note opening into the upper part of the chamber, the dimensions of the chamber and slot being such that when the bank-note is held vertically and the lower end of the bank-note is inserted in the slot, the bank-note then being released, the banknote slides along the lateral guides as it drops between the walls and then in a substantially stretched position and supported by the walls rests on the closure mechanism.

The invention will be more readily understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section (on the line II in FIG. 2) through the parts of an automatic bank-note cashier which are important in relation to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line Il-II in FIG. 1.

As shown in the drawing, an automatic cashier for bank-notes, parts of which cashier are omitted, has a test chamber 1 which receives a bank-note 2 while the genuineness of the bank-note is tested. The test chamber 1 has two vertical walls 3 and 4 and two lateral guides 5 and 6 and at the bottom is closed by a closure mechanism, which is described in more detail below. An inlet slot 10 for inserting the bank-note opens into the upper part of the test chamber 1.

The space between the guides 5 and 6 is only slightly, e.g., 1mm, greater than the width of the bank-note 2, and. the space (e.g., 5mm) between the walls 3 and 4, and the width of the inlet slot 10 are so dimensioned that a vertically held bank-note whose lower end is inserted in the slot 10 and which is then released slides along the lateral guides 5 and 6 as it falls between the walls 1 and 2, and then rests, in a substantially stretched position and supported by the walls, on the closure mechanism.

Three light barriers 11, 12, 13 are provided to check the presence of the bank-note 2 in the test chamber and to test its width and length. The light barriers 11 and 12 are each disposed immediately adjacent the upper end of one of the lateral guides 5 and 6, and the light barrier 13 is immediately above or in the area of the closure mechanism with the walls 3 and 4 having two aligned apertures for the light beam from each barrier. If the bank-note 2 standing on the part 9 of the closure mechanism 7, 8, 9 has a predetermined format, its upper corners interrupt the light beams of the two light barriers 11 and 12, while its lower edge interrupts the light beam of the light barrier 13.

The closure mechanism includes feed rollers 7, 8 and a deflector tongue 9. The roller 7 is connected to a con trollable drive (not shown). The roller 8 can be moved by displacement means (not shown) from its normal position, in which it is shown in unbroken lines in FIG. 1, to an aperture position, in which it is shown in broken lines and indicated by reference numeral 8., wherein it co-operates with the roller 7 to feed the bank-note 2. The deflector tongue 9 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 91 below the rollers 7, 8 and in its illustrated retracted normal position its free end is directed upwardly towards the gap between the rollers 8, 7 and the chamber 1. In its normal position, the roller 7 is spaced from the roller 8 by a distance which slightly exceeds the spacing between walls 3 and 4, and the thickness of the free end of the deflector tongue 9 is greater than this distance between the rollers 7, 8 so that the bank-note 2 when it drops between the walls 3 and 4, with the roller 8 in its normal position, does not touch the rollers 7, 8 and hence cannot catch thereon, and finally stands on the deflector tongue 9. In order to avoid upsets, especially catching and creasing of the bank-note during the conveying procedure, the feed rollers 7 and 8 have peripheral grooves 71, into which extend projections 92 on the switch tongue 9.

The wall,3 is a blackened or highly reflective plate connected to a displacement mechanism 14 by which the said wall 3 can be moved towards the glass or transparent plate wall 4 in order to press the bank-note flat between walls 3 and 4. This displacement mechanism includes two solenoids l4 and compression springs 15. A photo-electric device (not shown) which acts through the glass plate 4 to test the genuineness of the bank-note 2, has a light source for illuminating the side of bank-note 2 facing the glass plate 4, photo-electric members for picking up the light reflected by the bank note, and a circuit for evaluating the photo-currents corresponding to this reflected light.

If the bank-note 2 or another piece of paper is shorter and/or narrower than the bank-note which should be received, it interrupts only the light beam of light barrier 13, or this light beam. and the beam from one of the two light barriers 11 and 12. A circuit connected to the photo-electric members of the three light barriers then emits a signal which pivots the deflector tongue 9 into the position shown at 9, forces the roller 8 to the left, as viewed in FIG. 1, into the position 8', and drives the roller 7, so that this bank-note or this sheet of paper is not accepted, but fed into a return box If the width of the bank-note corresponds to that of the note which is to be accepted, and if it is not shorter than said note, then it interrupts the light beams of all three light barriers 11, 12, 13. In such case the circuit connected to the photo-electric members of the light barriers 11, 12, 13 produces a signal which excites the solenoid 14, so that the bank-note or sheet of paper is pressed by wall 3 flat against the glass plate 4. The device for photo-electrically testing genuineness is then put into operation. After this test the wall 3 is returned by the spring 15 back into the position shown in FIG. 1,

and the roller 8 is moved into its working position 8! in order to grip the lower edge of the bank-note 2 or the piece of paper between the rollers 7 and 8. If the test result is negative, the deflector tongue is pivoted into the position indicated by reference numeral 9 and the roller 7 is driven, whereupon the unacceptable banknote or the sheet of paper is passed into the return box 16. If the test result is positive, the deflector tongue 9 is pivoted into the position indicated by reference numeral 9", and the roller 7 is driven, whereupon the acceptable bank-note is fed to a guide 17 and through a further pair of feed rollers l8, 19 into a cash container 20, shown only in part.

The wall portions which define the inlet slot have a generally semi-circular recess 21 disposed at the same level as the light barriers 11 and 12, so that a bank-note or other piece of paper which has the required length remains visible until testing ends, and permits retrieval up to the point in time when the wall 3 in FIG. 1 is moved to the right or the roller 8 to the left.

If desired, a further light barrier can be placed above the light barriers 11 and 12, so that bank-notes or pieces of paper whose length exceeds the predetermined dimension can also be discharged into the return box 16, as described above for shorter bank-notes or pieces of paper.

On the other hand, the two light barriers 11, 12 can also be omitted if the photo-electrical test for genuineness is considered sufficient, especially since shorter and/or narrower bank-notes or pieces of paper affect the result of this test, especially if the surface of wall 3 facing the glass plate 4 is blackened or is strongly reflective. In this case also the light barrier 13 serves as a check on presence and to initiate the testing procedure.

In order to prevent foreign bodies entering the testchamber 1 while the automatic cashier is inoperative, the control thereof (not shown) can be so designed that the wall 3 when in rest position is pressed against the glass plate 4, and is not withdrawn to the prescribed distance therefrom until the light beams in the two light barriers 11 and 12 are simultaneously interrupted. in this case the springs 15, in contrast to the example shown, are preferably tension springs, and the solenoids are excited in order to move the wall 3 away from the glass plate 4.

We claim:

1. An automatic cashier for bank-notes, comprising a test chamber for receiving a bank-note while the banknote is tested for genuineness, the chamber having two vertical walls and two vertical lateral guides and the bottom of the chamber being closed by a closure mechanism which permits the bank-note to leave the chamber, an inlet slot for vertical insertion of the banknotes opening into the upper part of the chamber, the dimensions of the chamber and slot being such that when the bank-note is held vertically and the lower end of the bank-note is inserted in the slot, the bank-note then being released, the bank-note slides along the lateral guides, as it drops between the walls, and then in a substantially stretched position and supported by the walls rests on the closure mechanism.

2. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, wherein for testing the presence of a bank-note in the test chamber, immediately above or in the area of the closure mechanism there 18 provided a light barrier mcluding a photo-electric member connected to a circuit which emits a signal to initiate the test for genuineness when the photo-electric member of this light barrier has been darkened.

3. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 2, wherein for testing the width and length of the banknote, adjacent the upper ends of the two lateral guides there are provided two further light barriers including photo-electric members connected to the circuit, and the circuit arranged to emit a signal to initiate the test for genuineness when the photo-electric members of the three light barriers are darkened, and to emit a signal initiating return of the bank-note if the photoelectric member of the lower light barrier is darkened alone or together with the photo-electric member of only one of the two upper light barriers.

4. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, including a return box, a cash container, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a pair of feeder rollers connected to a controllable drive, a deflector tongue having a free end disposed below the rollers for feeding the bank-note into a return box if the test result is negative and into a cash container if the test result is positive.

5. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 4, wherein said pair of feed rollers have a normal position spaced apart a distance corresponding at least to the spacing between the walls and the rollers are arranged to be pressed against each other in another position when their drive is actuated, and wherein the thickness of the free end of the deflector tongue directed towards the spacing between the rollers is greater than the spacing between the rollers when the rollers are in their normal position.

6. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 5, the rollers have peripheral grooves and the deflector tongue has projections extending into said peripheral grooves.

7. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, including an advancing and retracting device, and wherein at least one of the walls is movable relative to the other wall and is connected to said advancing and retracting device for movement thereby in order to keep the bank-note flat between the walls during the testing for genuineness.

8. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 3, including an advancing and retracting device, at least one of said walls being movable relative to the other of said walls and is connected to said advancing and retracting device for movement thereby, wherein in their normal positions the walls touch each other, and the photoelectric members of the light barriers disposed at the upper ends of the two lateral guides connected to a circuit which actuates the advancing and retracting device to withdraw the movable wall when the photo-electric members of these two light barriers are simultaneously darkened.

9. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the said two vertical walls is transparent.

10. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper edge of at least one of the two vertical walls defining the inlet slot has a recess therein. 

1. An automatic cashier for bank-notes, comprising a test chamber for receiving a bank-note while the bank-note is tested for genuineness, the chamber having two vertical walls and two vertical lateral guides and the bottom of the chamber being closed by a closure mechanism which permits the bank-note to leave the chamber, an inlet slot for vertical insertion of the bank-notes opening into the upper part of the chamber, the dimensions of the chamber and slot being such that when the banknote is held vertically and the lower end of the bank-note is inserted in the slot, the bank-note then being released, the bank-note slides along the lateral guides, as it drops between the walls, and then in a substantially stretched position and supported by the walls rests on the closure mechanism.
 2. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, wherein for testing the presence of a bank-note in the test chamber, immediately above or in the area of the closure mechanism there is provided a light barrier including a photo-electric member connected to a circuit which emits a signal to initiate the test for genuineness when the photo-electric member of this light barrier has been darkened.
 3. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 2, wherein for testing the width and length of the bank-note, adjacent the upper ends of the two lateral guides there are provided two further light barriers including photo-electric members connected to the circuit, and the circuit arranged to emit a signal to iniTiate the test for genuineness when the photo-electric members of the three light barriers are darkened, and to emit a signal initiating return of the bank-note if the photo-electric member of the lower light barrier is darkened alone or together with the photo-electric member of only one of the two upper light barriers.
 4. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, including a return box, a cash container, wherein the closure mechanism comprises a pair of feeder rollers connected to a controllable drive, a deflector tongue having a free end disposed below the rollers for feeding the bank-note into a return box if the test result is negative and into a cash container if the test result is positive.
 5. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 4, wherein said pair of feed rollers have a normal position spaced apart a distance corresponding at least to the spacing between the walls and the rollers are arranged to be pressed against each other in another position when their drive is actuated, and wherein the thickness of the free end of the deflector tongue directed towards the spacing between the rollers is greater than the spacing between the rollers when the rollers are in their normal position.
 6. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 5, the rollers have peripheral grooves and the deflector tongue has projections extending into said peripheral grooves.
 7. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, including an advancing and retracting device, and wherein at least one of the walls is movable relative to the other wall and is connected to said advancing and retracting device for movement thereby in order to keep the bank-note flat between the walls during the testing for genuineness.
 8. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 3, including an advancing and retracting device, at least one of said walls being movable relative to the other of said walls and is connected to said advancing and retracting device for movement thereby, wherein in their normal positions the walls touch each other, and the photo-electric members of the light barriers disposed at the upper ends of the two lateral guides connected to a circuit which actuates the advancing and retracting device to withdraw the movable wall when the photo-electric members of these two light barriers are simultaneously darkened.
 9. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the said two vertical walls is transparent.
 10. An automatic cashier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper edge of at least one of the two vertical walls defining the inlet slot has a recess therein. 